One in eight adults experienced depression for the first time during the pandemic
One in eight seniors in CanadaAccording to a recent large-scale study, which included more than 20,000 people, experienced their first depression during the epidemic.
The statistics were significantly worse for people who had previously struggled with depression. Almost half (45 percent) of this population reported suffering from depression by the fall of 2020.
An analysis of responses from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, which collected data from participants for an average of seven years, was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
“The high rate of first-time depression in 2020 highlights the significant mental health toll the pandemic is wreaking on previously mentally healthy older adults.” says the first author, Andie MacNeilrecently graduated Master of Social Work from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) and the Life Course and Aging Institute at the University of Toronto.
Although it is well known that depression among older adults increased during the pandemic, few studies have examined the proportion of people who developed the condition for the first time or the proportion of people with a history of the condition who relapsed.
“The devastation of the pandemic, which disrupted so many aspects of daily life, hit those with a history of depression particularly hard,” said another author. Sapriya Birkresearcher, who previously worked in the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University in Ottawa and is currently a medical student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, adds, “Health care professionals need to be vigilant in screening patients who have had mental health problems at some time in their lives.”
The researchers found that many factors, including low income and savings, loneliness, chronic pain, difficulty accessing health care, traumatic childhood experiences and family conflict, were associated with depression in older adults during the pandemic.
Before the pandemic, older adults who felt their income was insufficient to meet their basic needs and those with less savings were more likely to experience depression during the pandemic.
“These findings highlight the disproportionate mental health burden borne by individuals of low socioeconomic status during the pandemic. The economic uncertainty of the pandemic may have exacerbated many of these socioeconomic risk factors, particularly for individuals with fewer resources,” says another author. Margaret de Grohscientific director at the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Individuals who experienced different dimensions of loneliness, such as alienation, isolation, and lack of companionship, had about a 4-5 times higher risk of depression and recurrent depression.
“Unsurprisingly, closure was particularly difficult for older adults who were isolated and lonely during the pandemic. Social connections and social support are essential for wellbeing and mental health. Better support and help is needed for those who are isolated during the pandemic. “, says another author Ying Jiangsenior epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Older adults with chronic pain and those who had difficulty accessing conventional health care, medication, or treatments were more likely to be depressed during the fall of 2020.
“This finding highlights the importance of streamlining service delivery to reduce healthcare disruptions in the event of future pandemics,” said co-author Prof. Paul J. VilleneuveDepartment of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Canada.
Individuals with a history of childhood adversity were more likely to be depressed in the fall of 2020. Older adults who experienced family conflict during the pandemic had more than three times the risk of depression compared to their peers who did not.
“Family conflicts are a major stressor that can affect mental health even at the best of times. The imposed strict restrictions and the stress caused by the pandemic put a considerable strain on many family relationships. The resulting conflict was a high risk for depression,” says the senior author, professor Esme Fuller-Thomson at the University of Toronto FIFSW and Director of the Institute for Life Course & Aging.
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Source: ANI